Handle for cutlery



(No Model) 0.3. EGGLESTON & J. H. LA FAVE.

HANDLE FOR OUTLERY.

No. 432,991. Patented July 29, 1890.

\ f M/Z Z IXWm-eawy C144 14 wggm $04K f NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE E. EGGLESTON AND JOSEPH H. LA FAVE, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT.

HANDLE FOR CUTLERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 432,991, dated July 29, 1890.

Application filed December 26, 1889. Serial No. 334,990. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that We, CLARENCE E.

STON and JosEPH H. LA FAVE, of Mei-idem, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cutlery-Handles; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of said invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in cutlery-handles; and the object of our invention is to produce a cutlery article, the handle of which, while having the appearance of being in one solid piece of metal with the blade, is yet much lighter and cheaper than can be made of metal. Electroplated cutlery made entirely of metal is old. The handles of such articles as knives and forks are generally solid, and therefore heavy and expensive. Some such handles are made hollow, and are still more expensive by reason of the difficulties of manufacture.

Handles for cutlery have been made of wood, rubber, glass, porcelain, and stoneware, the latter being the term generally applied to clay. Porcelain and clay handles are readily molded, and being much lighter than solid metal are frequently employed for articles of cutlery; but the appearance of such handles is objectionable for the reason that the article has not the same appearance of solidity and strength that one made entirely of metal has. \Ve therefore apply a rubber, porcelain, or clay handle to the shank of a knife, fork, or analogous article of cutlery, and electroplate said handle, the plating of the handle extending over the bolster of the shank. Our invention consists in a cutlery article having a handle of hardened plastic material-such as rubber, clay, porcelain, or glasssaid handle and the adjoining portion of the article being uniformly electroplated; and our invention further consists in the construction of the fastening means, as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a knife and its handle complete. Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the handle and portion of" the blade. A indicates the blade of the knife, and it is to be understood that any other analogous article of cutlery might be so indicated.

a is the bolster, and a is the screw-threaded tan B is the handle, recessed at b, and having a cylindrical filling of soft metal I). From said recess to the outside of the handle is a groove b and from the tang to the periphery of the bolster is a groove a In uniting the parts we screw the tang into the soft-metal filling b to its full extentthat is, until the plane surface of the bolster and the end of the handle abutwith a closefitting joint, and we then insertin the recess formed by the two grooves a and b a key or wedge of soft metal, the upper end of which shall be flush with the external portion of the handle and bolster. Over the handle and the bolster thus joined we form,by any ordinary electroplating process, a coating of metal, which may be of copper, silver, or any other preferred metal, ornamental or plain.

It is to be understood that the electroplating may be extended over the entire article, or, as stated, only over the handle and the meeting portion of the bolster, or the plating of the handle may stop at the end meeting the bolster.

It will thus be seen that the resulting article, while having ahandle much lighter and cheaper than if made of solid metal, and also much cheaper than if made of hollow metal, has the appearance of beinga metallic handle.

\Vhat we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- l. A cutlery article having an electroplated handle of plastic and hardened material, substantially as set forth.

2. A cutlery article having a screw-threaded tang, and a handle having a soft-metal-lined recess, the bolster of the article having a radial groove from its tang to its surface and the handle having a radial groove from its recess to its surface, and a soft-metal key fitting the recess resulting from the meeting of said grooves, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we atlix our signatures in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLARENCE E. EGGLESTON. JOSEPH 11. LA FAVE.

Witnesses:

Gno. H. GLADWIN, FRED. L. BUELL. 

